The use of straps and collars as a means of fastening license tags and tags indicating compliance with local health regulations are well known in the art. The license tag, for example, is generally secured to the collar by means of a clip or split-ring fastener and often comprises the sole means of identifying the pet who has been lost or otherwise separated from his owner. In such cases, the individual finding the lost pet must bring the animal to his or her home, contact the license issuing authority, and wait for the owner to be contacted. If the pet is found at night or over a weekend, it may take many hours or even days before the issuing authority can be contacted.
To avoid the shortcomings of relying on a license tag as the sole means of owner identification, it has also been suggested that a tag bearing the name and address of the owner be fixed to the collar of the pet. While such tags could potentially expedite the owner notification process, there are still several certain disadvantages. The major problem with such identification tags, of course, is that upon reading the owner's telephone number from the tag, the finder must memorize the telephone number or hope that the lost pet will remain in the area while he gets a pencil and paper to write it down. As the pet is most likely to wander off, the fact that pet identification tags often do not fulfill their intended purpose is generally overlooked. Further, in this age of a high regard for privacy, it is unlikely that pet owners, given a choice, would desire strangers to arbitrarily know their name, address, and telephone number. Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a simple electronic device securable to the pet which makes it possible for the finder of the lost pet to quickly contact the owner with minimal effort while maintaining the owner's expectations of privacy to the greatest extent possible.
Electronic devices which are capable of storing a desired telephone dialing sequence and generating a touch tone signal corresponding thereto are well known. Such devices are placed near a telephone handset and actuated to dial the desired telephone number.
Also available are electronic monitoring devices which attach to an animal's collar or band and which permit the location of the animal to be detected. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,719. In the '719 patent, an integral holder/buckle defines a rib and a cavity for receiving an electronic responder device. A flap pivotally connected to the holder includes a boss positioned opposite the rib. An end of a band is positioned between the holder and the flap so that when the flap is closed, the band is compressed between the boss and the rib and thereby held in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,116 discloses a holder assembly which is adapted to detachably secure a gaff hook to a flexible band or belt. The '116 patent utilizes a holder defining a longitudinal channel for retaining a portion of the band and having a pair of parallel plate members positioned over the channel. The plate members define a slot therebetween for receiving the gaff hook and one of them is equipped with a detent portion which flexes to admit the rounded surface of the hook as it is inserted. The detent returns to a hook engaging position and locks the hook in place.
British Patent No. 278,477 shows a device for adjusting the girth of a dog collar having belt holes. The '477 device includes a baseplate having a stud for engaging a hole in a belt or the holes of overlapped ends of the belt. A hinged cover is closed down over the overlapped ends of the belt to secure the belt after the adjustment for girth has been made.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,986 to Costanzo discloses a deodorizing collar attachment which comprises a housing formed from upper and lower arcuate members pivotally joined at one end. The upper member has a downwardly depending lip which is adapted to engage the outer periphery of the lower member, thereby securing the two members together. The upper member is pivoted to expose the interior of the housing and the contents, thereby allowing the deodorizing chemicals freely retained therein to be replaced.
None of the patents discussed above, however, suggest a holder assembly provided with means coupled to a band member such as a collar adapted to be worn by a pet for detachably retaining an electronic device capable of reproducing a desired dialing sequence corresponding to the telephone number of the owner of a lost pet.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a programmable device that can be secured to the collar worn by the pet, that can be readily detached therefrom, and that can be positioned near any telephone handset so that the finder of a lost pet wearing said device can establish telephone contact with the owner quickly and easily.